Self-balanced turntable



Aug. 211, 1923. F. E; ARNDT SELF BALANCED TURNTABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14 1923 F. E. ARNDT SELF BALANCED TURNTABLE Aug. 21, 1923.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 14 1923 retested Au 21, was

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mere. '00.; or GALION, onro, a oonroaa'rionoronro.

eeann ARND'I, OF GALION, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GALION IRON WORKS &

SE F- L NC T NTABLE- hpp l ication filed na 1923. Serial No. 638,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN E. Armor, a citizen of the United States residin at Galion, in the county of Grawfordand S t-ate of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Balanced Turntables, of which the following is a speeifica tion.

This invention relates to turntables, and particularly to those turntables which are used in the construction of roads and which are brought up to the point Where work is being done upon the road so as to permit the trucks carrying material for the road or for concrete mixers to be turned around so that they may deliver theirload and be faced in a reverse direction;

The general object of this invention is to providea turntable of this character so constructed that asthetruc-k rolls up approacheso'r ramps at one end oft-heturn' table the truck Will approach and strike' thel platform, the "platform of 'the turntable being so constructed the end of the platform adjacent the approach will be depressed to permit the trucl: to run upon the turntable or platform and balance over thecentra'l shaft thereof. i i A further object is to provide a turntable of this character invvhichthe platform is balanced upon the centralshaft and 111 which springs are used foi' the purposeof support ing the platform in its horizontal position, these springs acting as balancing springs and helping to steady the load when being turned and also to hold the platform or table in a horizontal position yvhen the turntable is idle. l

A still further object is to provide a turntable of this character having ballbearings, the balls being retained in place by an inverted il-shaped retainer which prevents dirt from dropping in or on the ball race.

Other objects have to do withthe details of construction andarrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter. M

My invention is, illustrated in the accoinpanying drawings, wherein i Figure lis a top plan view of my improved turntable; r a .7

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2+2 of ure I i Figure 3 is a fragmentarylongitudinal elevation;

Figure e isa top plan view of the bed Figure 5 is a fragmentary section through the bed and through the platform to show the manner in which the springs are mounted.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that my construction embodies a supporting base 10 rectangular in plan and consisting oi.

three layers of planks disposed alternately at rigl' t angles't'o each 'otl'ier, held in place by any suitable 'meansand shodat their forward ends by the upwardly and forivar dly inclined steel protectors 11; to which shackles 12 are connected, these shackles in turn being con nectedtoa draft chain or jchaiiis 13 whereby this base or wooden platform may be dragged from one place to another.

,Mounted upon the platform is the annular track 14, This track isflanged on its inside face and is bolted to the Wooden base by'bolts 15, theheads of which are countersilnlrinthe bottom of the base; The upper end of the annular rail lt is grooved, as at 16; to form a ball racefor the'balls 17. Disposed over this annulartrack is an annular member 18 which is also cut away to form a race Within which the balls 17 operate,thisannular'rriemher having the lateral flanges '19extending downward on each side of tlie head of the rail 14. This member 18 therefore, constitutes an inyerted lJ-shaped retainer rail holding the anti-friction balls 17in place and protecting the raceways from the accumulation bosses 21, attached to these bosses byset screyvs 22 are channel i ron frame beams Q3. The longitudinal inembers of this rectangular frame 20 eXteiid'lbeyond thetransverse members of the frame, and attached'tothese members are thef angularly disposed support ing plates or bracketsfll i Mounted in bear ng s upon a, th a i ela member s a tran verse att ndee haf 25. This shaft carries uponita true]: plat form comprisingthe lrelati velyiwide"tracks 26 of relatively thin iiietia'l pretest rinse P a e a e b lted t t e ihm z t nee f longitudinal "extending angle" irons 27.

glheseiangl'e irons are connected at intervals by transverse angle iron braces 28 which are riveted to the angle irons 27 and'to the sheet metal track plates 26. The ends of the track plates are reinforced by means of transverse reinforcing bars 29. There are two'of the transverse braces 28 disposed between the ends of the track plates and the annular member 18 and connecting these angle iron braces in the space between the track plates are the crossed braces 30.

Supported upon the brackets 24; are coiled. compression springs 31 which at their upper ends bear against plates 32 attached to the under faces of the track plates 26 and held in position by the transversely extending braces 28. Inasmuchas there are four of these springs, it will be seen that the platform 'of the turntable will be balanced evenly in all directions. In other words, the springs will yieldingly resist any tendency of the turntable to tip from one side to the other on a longitudinal axis and that they will also act to restrain the turntable from tipping on an axis coincident with the trans verse shaft 25. Riveted to the angle irons 27 are the side pieces which formthe side walls of the longitudinally extending tracks; Toward the ends of the tracks the side walls are relativelylow, as at 34, and riveted to these relatively low side walls M are the socket members 35 which are formed with sockets 36 for the reception of bars 37 whereby 'the turntable may be manually turned upon its axis.

Coaeting with the turntable and disposed at one or both ends are the ramps or approaches, designated generally 38. These have floors 39 formed of transversely extending planks, these floors being upwardly inclined and being supported by the lateral walls of these ran'ips or approaches. he highest part of the ramp is somewhat below the normal level of theplatform plates 26 and the ramp is held in place by stakes 40 which are driven through angular brackets 41 mounted upon the side walls of the ramps. It will thus be seen that as a truck approaches the turntable it will be driven up the inclined ramp and the Wheels of the truck will strike the forward ends of the platform 26 and depress the platform so that the wheels of the truck may runoff onto the turntable. This depression of the end of the platform will be resisted by the springs. The truckwill then move onto the platform and when the truck is disposed equally over the shaft 25 the weight on the platform will be equalized and the springs will return the platform to its horizontal position. These springs are of such strength that when the truck is in its balanced position disposed equally over the center of the platform, the four springs will support the truck and platform without depression. It is only when the truck is running upon the platform that it depresses one end thereof and'rocks the platform upon the axis formed when the turntableis being turned and also 1% hold the turntable in a horizontal position when the table is idle.

After the truck has been disposed upon the turntable the turntable is rotated by power applied to the bars 37 and the truck is turned around end for end so that it may be dumped toward the cement mixer or toward the end of the road upon which work is being done. This disposes, of course, the forward end of the truck in a direction away from the work and permits the truck to run off the platform and proceed on its way without the necessity-of backing or turning. This is particularly necessary in narrow roads where there is not suflicient width to permit the truck to readily turn.

It will be seen that without the use of these springs the platform would not balance and would drag at one or the other of its ends, and if the platform was rigid, that is it was not a'tiltable platform, it would ill) be necessary to build the ramps up high enough to permit the trucks to run upon the platform and this would mean either that the inclination of the ramps would'have to be particularly steep or else that the ramps would have to berelatively long. By pivoting the platform, however, so that it may tilt downward, there isno necessity of this additional length. It will be noted that the platform when it lowersmoves down onto the approaches or ramps and is supported thereby but as soon as the truck passes onto the turntable the platform is raised from its engagement with the ramps. By'malring the platform relatively high, an advantage is gained of having the truck elevated to a height sufiicient to clear the curbs of streets and roads and particularly streets or roads 7 which I have devised embodies a base, a eircular rail mounted upon the base and constituting a circular raceway, a bed including a frame having a circular raceway confronting the first named raceway, a platform which is tiltably mounted upon the bed,and means yieldingly supporting the platform in a horizontal position but permitting the platform to be tilted downward atone or the other ends so thatone end of the platform may be depressed onto the corresponding ramp when a load is unequally distributed upon the platform but that when the load is evenly distributed upon the platfornrthe springs will return the platform to its horizontal position. It isnot intended that the springs shall be depressed under a load but merely that the springs shall autoiii matically return the platform to its horizontal position when the truck has passed the tilting center of the platform and is supported upon the base, a bed piece ro-.

tatably mounted upon the track, a platform tiltably mounted upon the bed piece but r0- tatable therewith, and springs carried bythe bed piece and yieldingly holding the platform in a horizontal position.

2. A turntable including a base, an annular track operatively supported upon the base, a bed piece coacting with the track, there being anti-friction bearings between the track and the bed piece, a platform tiltably mounted upon the bed piece, and a pair of springs mounted upon the bed piece and disposed-on each side of the tilting axis of the platform and normally supporting the platform in a horizontal osition but per mitting the tilting of the p atform under an unevenly disposed load.

3. A turntable comprising a base, a frame mounted upon the base and including a circular track, a bed mounted upon said track for rotation thereon, a transversely extending shaft mounted in bearings on the bed and extending across the center thereof, a latform operatively connected to said s aft to tilt therewith,and s )rings supported upon the bed and operative y engaging the platform, the springs being disposed on each side of the axial center of said shaft to normally support the platform in a horizontal position to permit the tilting of the platform under an unequally distributed weight.

4. A turntable comprising a base, a frame mounted upon the base and including a circular track, a bed comprising a frame in eluding a circular rail confronting the 'circular track, anti-friction bearings between the rail and track permitting the rotation of the rails with relation to the track, a rock shaft mounted in bearings on the bed, a platform carried by said shaft and tilting therewith, springs mounted upon the bed and engaging the platform and yieldingly supporting the platform in a horizontal position but permitting the platform to be tilted under an unequally disposed load, and manually operable means attached to the platform whereby it may be rotated.

5. A turntable comprisinga base, a bed rotatably mounted upon the base and a platform mounted upon the bed for oscillation in a vertical plane, means yieldingly supporting the platform in a horizontal position but permitting the platform to be tilted under an unequally distributed load, upwardly in clined ramps disposed below the ends of the platform and having their upper ends on a level below the level of the platform, the platform being depressible at each end into engagement with said ramps, and means whereby the platform and bed may be rotated.

6. A turntable comprising a base, a frame mountedupon the base and embodying a circular track, a bed mounted upon the base and also embodying a circular track confronting the first named track, the second named circular track being U-shaped in cross section to provide flanges embracing the first named track, anti-friction bearings disposed between the two tracks, a shaft mounted upon said bed, a platform operatively mounted upon the shaft, the platform being oscillatable in a vertical plane around the axis of said shaft, and springs yieldingly urging said platform to a horizontal position but permitting the tilting of the plat form under an unequally distributed load.

7. A. turntable of the character described comprising a base including an annular track, a bed including an annulartrackcoactingwith the first named track, anti-friction bearings disposed between the two tracks whereby the bed may rotate upon the base, a platform oscillatably mounted upon said bed, coiled compression springs disposed in lines ra' dial to the r'otative center of the turntable and operatively supporting said platform against depression but permitting the platform to be depressed at one end or the other under the action of anunequally distributed load.

8. A turntable of the character described comprising a base, a bed mounted upon the base and including a rectangular frame and a circular track, a bed mounted upon said base and including a rectangular frame coacting with the first named track, there being anti-friction bearings between the two tracks, a platform including a rectangular frame, a shaft operatively supporting the platform from the bed and permitting oscillation of the platform in a "ertical plane. and springs disposed at the corners of said frames and yieldingly supporting said platform in a horizontal plane but permitting the depression of the platform at either end under the action of an unequally distributed load.

9. A turntable of the character described are tively wide troughs U-shaped in cross section extending longitudinally of the turntable and at each end beyond said frame, the 1011- gitudinal members of said shafts being connected by transverse braces, and springs disposed upon said bed and engaging the corners of the frame and supporting the frame and platform in a horizontal position but permitting the platform to tilt in a vertical plane around the axis of said shaft, and upwardly inclined ramps having their higher ends disposedbeneath the platform and the floor at the upper ends of said ramps being below the platform, the platformbeing depressible onto said ramps.v

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANKLIN EfARNDT. 

